Children of the Corn-Will it be love or death?
by MintMango15
Summary: Amora Reed decides to run away to Gatlin in hopes of a better life but instead finds the cult that follows He who walks behind the rows. She already takes an interest in someone,she just doesnt know if its a good or bad thing...
1. Chapter 1: Run away

Amora Reed was a beautiful short girl who lived in a small house,she had curly black hair and big brown eyes with a round face. She liked wearing red lipstick with black graphic tees and dark blue jeans,she was going to be 16 in less than 3 months. However,she wasn't too excited for her birthday or anything really,she was physically abused by her foster parents since her real parents died when she was a toddler. Amora didn't remember what they looked like or how their personality's were,but she knew for sure that they were nicer than any dumbass foster parents. She had been up in the attic thinking since she had gotten hit just 10 minutes ago,her foster parents didn't like her and she didn't have any friends. All the other kids would make fun of her too and just make her life miserable,after staying in deep thought Amora decided to risk it all. She would pack up some clothes,money,and other essentials and run away. Fuck it. She waited for it to get darker and quietly went into her room to pack everything she needed and about $1200 of saved up money in a big bag. She took her foster moms car keys and drove away from her old "home". She knew about a town not too far away called Gatlin,maybe she could get some idea on where to go or just stay in Gatlin. She drove on and pasted a sign that said Gatlin was one mile away,and then the car runs out of gas. Amora grabs her bag and gets out of the car and starts to walk,while walking she can sense that someone is watching her in the cornfield next to the road. She just brushed it off thinking it was her fear of the dark,but she was wrong. Before she walked into town she hears footsteps running towards her,she turns around and sees her foster dad with a belt. Amora tries to run but he grabs her and pushes her onto the concrete and pins her down. He wraps the belt around Amira's neck and tries to strangle her while she cries out for help. "HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" She hears no response and feels her air running low and darkness consuming her vision. She suddenly feels her foster dad pushed off of her and sees someone attacking him but she can't really see. She sees the person standing above her but before they can make an action,Amora blacks out on the road


	2. Chapter 2: Red for his anger

Amora wakes up and the first things she sees are legs and notices that she is laying in the cornfield. She stands up and looks at the person who is in front of her,it's a shorter boy than her but he looks very creepy. Amora also notices that there are other kids around her,including a guy with reddish hair who was very cute to her. They stared at each other before the boy in front of her spoke. "Welcome to Gatlin,Amora. How are you feeling?" Amora is confused as to how this boy knows who she is, "I'm fine,my throat just feels sore. How do you know my name?" The boy walks closer to her and grabs her hand,making Amora slightly uncomfortable but she's too scared to say anything. "He who walks behind the rows has told me of your arrival and who you are. My name is Issac and you're very lucky my second in command was able to save you in time,you almost died. Amora this is Malachi,he is the one to have saved your life under my order. He also brought you out here to the clearing while you were unconscious,the man that was hurting you is now dead." The boy that she had been staring at earlier walks up and they shake hands,but after their hand shake she hugs him. "Thank you so much for saving my life,I was so scared." Malachi hugged Amora back awkwardly before pulling himself away and putting his hands in his pockets. Issac gains her attention again by clearing his throat, "I will offer you a choice,Amora. You can either leave Gatlin and never return or you can decide to live here. The only exception to stay here is that you must follow and believe in He who walks behind the rows. The only rules are that you must marry by 16 and have a child so our numbers won't go down and you will be a human sacrifice once you come of the age of 19." Amora couldn't believe what she had just heard,HUMAN SACRIFICE? GETTING MARRIED? What kind of religion was this?! Amora thought deeply about her decision _"I have nothing to live for and maybe I can learn to like it here,I'm actually being welcomed by kids around my age for once. I don't have anywhere else to go either..." _She looks down at Issac, "I have decided to stay." Issac nods his head, "Very well,Amora. You shall be welcomed by He who walks behind the rows with open arms and blessed by his winds. Everyone is allowed to go to bed,except for you Malachi,it won't be long. Praise God! Praise the Lord!" The children chanted with him the praising of their "God",Malachi walks over to me and Issac and Issac explains what he wants us to do. "Malachi,you will have to share your house with Amora for now and you are not allowed to kill her. You can harm her but only if it is absolutely necessary,in other words, dont lose your temper." Malachi nods and Issac walks away,leaving Amora with Malachi. "I will take you to where I live,but I have my rules,Outlander. Stay out of my way and dont bug me and we won't have any problems,understand?" Amora nodded and Malachi led her to his house in silence,it was awkward so Amora made small talk. "So,how old are you?" He didn't answer her and kept walking,making Amora slightly annoyed, "Hey,I asked how old you were." Malachi looks at her from the corner of his eye, "Why are you so interested?" He asks in a confused and bothered tone,Amora couldn't tell if he was angry or not. "I just want to get to know you,the silence felt too silent and I just wanted to make a conversation. Excuse me for trying to be polite." Malachi didn't say anything at first,Amora assumed she made him mad just a tiny bit. She was glad they arrived at the house,but decided to try small talk again to see if Malachi was really mad or not. "I'll be 16 in about 3 months." They has already walked up the porch but Malachi stopped himself from opening the door. He looked at her and sighed,he opened the door for her to walk in first, "I'm going to be 16 in less than a month from now." Amora nodded as she walked in and looked around,he had a two story house that wasn't too colorful or had a lot of furniture but she liked it. "Your room is upstairs and down the hall to the right,mine is the one on the left side of the stairs. The door in the middle of the hall is the bathroom,don't mess with or break anything in my house." Malachi said sternly and started to walk upstairs,Amora went into her room and closed the door,she looked into her bag for pajamas and changed into a oversized blue shirt with some short black shorts. Once she was changed she walked down the hall and knocked on Malachi's door,he opened it and gave her an annoyed look. "I told you not to bug me." Amora didn't like his tone and started to walk away, "Damn,I was just going to tell you goodnight but no matter what I do you have an attitude! I've tried to be polite and you still have an annoyed tone in your voice,whatever I'm going to sleep." Amora started to walk away until Malachi grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the wall,giving her no escape. "Listen,all I want is for you not to bug me,so just get out of my head and leave me alone." Amora struggled but wasn't scared of Malachi,she stopped struggling and looked him in his eyes. "Why do you hate me? What do you mean get out of your head?" Malachi didn't say anything,he still had Amora's wrist above her head but he softened his grip and pushed her away from him. "Just go to sleep." He walked back into his room and slammed the door shut,Amora didn't know what to think of the situation. She walked down the hall to her room and shut the door softly,she walked over to her bed and tried to sleep as best as she could.


	3. Chapter 3: Forgiven,forgotten

Amora and Malachi still hadn't gotten along too well since her arrival last month,they had gotten a bit better on communication by coming to a compromise of almost none at all. But Amora still had her moments of wanting to talk with Malachi and it was like flipping a coin. Never knowing what you're gonna get but you know it's a 50/50 chance,although the outcome was always unknown Malachi never laid a finger on Amora since her arrival. On this lovely Sunday everyone was in the cornfield hearing Issac's daily prayer of He who walks behind the rows,Malachi was standing next to Issac while Amora sat next to him. She would look around and look up at Malachi often as she felt the wind blow through her hair, _"It feels so peaceful out here." _Amora thought as she sat down,she hadn't even been listening to Issac very well as she was stuck in her own world of thoughts. "Praise God! Praise the Lord!" She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard everyone chant and seeing them stand up ready to leave. On Sundays,Issac was nice enough to let everyone have the day off and rest instead of working. Usually Amora would go off and do her own thing with Rachel and the other girls but today she felt different. She seen Malachi walking towards the house and ran up to him, "Hi Malachi,what's up?" He looked down at her,he was almost a foot taller and it made Amora's neck hurt sometimes just by looking up at him. "I'm going back to my house,I thought you were going to go be with the girls today?" Malachi questioned,he sounded more intrigued than bothered but Amora still would play around. "Oh so you don't want me around? Ok that's fine,I see how it is. I'm just kidding,I actually don't want to be with Rachel right now. I was thinking maybe that we could sit outside on the porch swing and talk. The weather is nice and cool,it's the perfect way to relax." Malachi thought as he walked but Amora couldn't tell what he was thinking,she realized they were a few yards away from the house when she looked in front of her. "Ok." Malachi said as they walked up the steps,they both sat down and swung a little and watched the corn rows as the wind pushes them slightly. "Your birthday is tomorrow right? Are you excited?" Amora asked,still staring out at the rows. "Not really,birthdays aren't to fun,if anything I'm more anxious. Tomorrow is the age I have to be married,He who walks behind the rows will pick a girl here for me to marry and bear children with. I will get to spend 3 years with my child or children and then when I'm 19 I'll be sent to He who walks behind the rows." Amora suddenly remembered that he was correct,Issac had told her about all of this when she arrived. "To be honest I'm worried about being married to someone here,I don't really know anyone besides you. Then being sacrificed scares the shit out of me,how are all of you ok with this?" Amora looked at Malachi and he looked back, "It's just the way we decided to live,Issac told you all of this last month and if you weren't comfortable with it I could've killed you and not have to deal with you." Amora felt offended at Malachi's comment,she felt the wind blow a bit stronger. "If you don't want me to be here just tell me and I'll leave. I chose to stay here because I literally have no where else to go, Issac and this whole cult were the only people to have ever accepted me. Except you." Malachi stood up and walked to the door but stopped before entering. "I don't understand why my approval of you is that important to you. You shouldn't be that surprised of my thoughts about you,I didn't ask for you to come here and enter my life!" Amora was about to shout back before hey seen Issac walking towards the steps. "That's enough you two,Sunday's are for peace not shouting at each other. Malachi,your birthday is tomorrow,remember that at noon we will all meet in the cornfield. We will wish you a happy birthday and announce your future spouse,He who walks behind the rows has spoken to me. I think you will be...delighted to know your future spouse tomorrow. Until then I think it's time you two spent some time apart,do not see each other until it is time for bed. Have a good day." Issac walked away,leaving the pair on the porch in silence while they both stared at each other. "I'll be out with Rachel and the other girls." Amora said and walked down the steps,as she walked away Malachi stared at her and didn't go inside until he could no longer see her.

**Nightfall**

It was 11 at night and Amora still wasn't back yet, and Malachi was beginning to feel this pit in his stomach that he couldn't explain to himself. The time apart helped him release some tension off his shoulders and he kept thinking about their conversation. It was nice until he made that comment,at the time he hadn't really thought about it before saying it. To be honest he didn't even think Amora would be offended,he figured it was basic knowledge to her at this point in time. Finally he heard girls laughing outside and looked to see Amora with Rachel and 2 other girls. He walked outside but didn't walk off the porch, "Amora,come inside." The girls all looked up and Amora walked forward, "Come on,Malachi don't be mad at her. We were just having fun and I didn't realize what time it was,sorry for having her out so late. Goodnight you two,and happy birthday Malachi!" Rachel said as her and the other girls started to walk back home. Once Amora walked back inside she turned to Malachi, "Why are you worried about me? You were shouting at me earlier." Malachi closed the door and sat down on his dads old recliner, "It's late and it's gotten colder outside,you didn't even have a jacket on. And um... I'm sorry about earlier also, I should've thought about what I was gonna say before actually saying it." Amora couldn't say anything at first,Malachi was actually apologizing for the argument earlier. Since she had been there,Malachi never apologized for snapping at her or anything. "Well...thank you Malachi,that's very nice of you to say. We should probably go to sleep now before it gets any later,I'm pretty tired and we have to be ready by noon." Amora went to her room to change into some warm pajamas when she heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" She called out, "Goodnight Amora." She walked to the door and opened it to see Malachi standing there in just some sweatpants and no shirt. She saw his chest first since he was so tall,she didn't even want to look away but she had to so he wouldn't feel awkward. She looked up at him trying to avoid looking down, "Goodnight Malachi." She said and Malachi walked back down the hall to his room. She closed her door and turned off the light to head for sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Proposal

Amora was awaken by the sound of knocking on her door, "Wake up its 11:30,I already showered so you can use the bathroom." Malachi said through the door before going back to his room. Amora got up quickly and picked out some clothes to wear before walking to the bathroom. After getting showered and dressed she met up with Malachi downstairs, "I didn't think I would sleep in so late,sorry. Happy birthday by the way." Malachi walked to the door and opened it to let her leave out first, "Thanks and It's ok,we both slept in on accident. I guess being out with friends past 11 isn't a good idea huh,Amora?" He asked her with a grin,she just smiled back at him as they walked to the church. "No it's not,but I guess worrying and staying up past 11 isn't so good either,Malachi." He laughed at her comment as they walked,it made Amora feel good to hear him laugh instead of getting mad like he used to. Then she remembered that because he was turning 16,he was also getting married and it made Amora feel kinda sad. "Are you excited about getting married today?" She asked out of curiosity, "To be completely honest,no. I hardly talk to any girls here,I didn't even talk to many of them before we killed all the adults. Some girls here try to get my attention but I was never interested,I only talk to them if me or Issac need a specific favor to be done." They left the conversation at that and continued walking to the church. Once they arrived everyone was inside,everything was already set up with a few tables with food and a chair set up at the front of the church. A few of the others came up to greet them with Issac, "You arrived just in time,Malachi. Go sit in the chair at the front,we're about to start." Rachel and the other girls led Amora to their seats that were near the front while everyone else also settled down at a seat. Once the room was quiet,Issac began to speak, "Today we celebrate the birth of one of our strongest members,Malachi. We shall celebrate by having a small party here in the church and after a bit of fun,I shall announce who He who walks behind the rows has chosen to be Malachi's bride." 2 of the guys sitting had carried a cake with a few candles and placed it on a small table in front of him. They all sang happy birthday and Malachi blew out his candles. For the next hour,everyone ate,talked,and played a few games in the church. Malachi was actually enjoying the party a lot until Issac walked to the front of the church,everyone went quiet so Issac could speak. "A week before today,He who walks behind the rows told me who he wants Malachi to marry. I will tell Malachi who it is in his ear,then he shall take this bouquet of flowers and present them to his spouse. Amora felt her stomach twist, _"Well,time for your only crush to be taken away. At least it isn't a big crush,but it still sucks." _Amora thought to herself,Issac leaned over and whispered in Malachi's ear. He looked shocked and turned to Issac, "Do not speak yet Malachi,take the flowers and present them." Malachi grabbed the bouquet of flowers and stood up but didn't move,he stared down at the flowers before walking to his right. He walked to where Amora was sitting and dropped down on one knee presenting the flowers to her while looking down at the floor. Amora sat there with her mouth open while everyone around her was smiling,she took the flowers and stood up with Malachi. "Malachi and Amora shall be married on Friday night,until then there are still some chores to be done. However,I will need some of you to make the bride and groom their clothes for the wedding. Praise God,praise the lord!" Rachel and the girls were excited and took Amora outside with the others while Malachi and Issac stayed behind in the church. "Why am I marrying Amora? Her and I have just barley been getting along and she is a outlander!" Malachi asked Issac while having an unsettling smile on his face rather than his usual calm expression. "Yes Malachi,a outlander you have loved since before she arrived. He who walks behind the rows told me about your dream and Sarah told me about Amora's arrival,did you think I wouldn't know about any of that? You might act like you don't love her but deep down you do,that's why you were out in the cornfield the night she came to Gatlin. You saw her getting attacked in your dream and you went to rescue her. Be prepared for the wedding on Friday,in the meantime you should talk to Amora more and get used to sleeping in the same bed." Malachi blushed at Issacs statement before heading to the doors of the church,but Issac spoke again. "And remember,once you two are officially married,you have a year to try to have children. If you don't you will both be sacrificed to Him,do you understand?" Malachi turned and nodded at Issac before leaving out the church. Mostly everyone had left but Amora was still there with Rachel, "Hello Malachi,I was just talking to Amora about the wedding! I promise you that she will look beautiful in the dress I'm making for her. I'll be on my way now,take care to you both!" Rachel said and walked away. Amora and Malachi stood there awkwardly,they still couldn't believe they were getting married. Malachi cleared his throat, "Do you want to go home and talk?" Amora nodded and they walked in silence in the cornfield,the only thing they could hear was the wind softly blowing against the rows of corn. Once they got to the house they both sat on the porch swing still in silence. "How do you feel about marrying me?" Amora asked him,he didn't know how to word his response fearing that she would get mad if he said something stupid. "I'm not entirely sure,how do you feel?" He asked her, "I feel safe. I've gotten to know you and you aren't as bad from the first day I met you,and I'm still very grateful that you saved my life. You also aren't too bad looking either,dare I say,you look cute." Amora said while smiling up at him,he was surprised to hear her words and he laughed and blushed a little. "Thanks,you aren't so bad either." They swung with the wind and talked for the next hour before remembering they had wedding chores to do.


	5. Chapter 5: Babysitting and Confessions

It was Thursday afternoon and there was still a few adjustments that had to be done on Amora's dress. Amora had been with Rachel and the other girls for most of the week trying to help clean and decorate the church. "Oh Amora,you're gonna love the wedding, I'm excited for you! Do you know how many other girls who wanted to marry Malachi? There must've been 5 other girls,lucky for you we aren't one of those five." The girls all giggled while they cleaned the organ in the church. Then the girls heard the church door open and saw Joseph standing there with two children standing behind him. "Issac is asking Amora to watch Job and Sarah for an hour or so." Amora was curious about the two children,Malachi or Rachel had never mentioned them to her before. Amora stood up to brush some dust off herself, "Are you sure,Joseph? The wedding is tomorrow and we don't want to stress her." Amora walked over to Joseph and the kids and smiled. "It's ok Rachel,I haven't met them before but they seem nice. I'll be fine." Joseph held the door open for Amora and the kids and led them to a house that was a bit far from the rest of the houses. Joseph led them to the porch and stopped, "Issac said to stay here until Malachi comes,until then watch them and don't leave." Joseph walked away from the house,leaving Amora alone with the kids. She opened the door and let them inside, "Hi,my name is Amora,nice to meet you." She was on her knees so she could be at eye level with them and shook their hands, "I'm Job and this is my sister Sarah." Sarah smiled and Amora smiled back, "Those are nice names. What would you like to do to pass the time?" She asked them. They both went to the stairs and gestured for her to follow them,they led her to a shared bedroom with a few toys and two beds. "Do you want to draw with us?" Sarah asked, "Thank you." Amora said and was given a piece of paper,a pencil,and some crayons. "Aren't you Malachi's girlfriend?" Job asked Amora,she was very surprised that he knew that. "Um yes,we're actually going to get married tomorrow. He who walks behind the rows has chosen for us to be together." She said and started to draw Malachi,herself,Job and Sarah. She hadn't drawn in a year or so but she was still ok at it, "We know,Sarah actually had a vision of you coming here before you even got here." Job said and Amora was shocked, "Vision?" She asked now being very curious. "When Issac got rid of the adults,I saw it before it happened and I've had visions since. We don't believe in He who walks behind the rows,but Issac lets us stay because of my visions and I only agreed to be here if Job got to stay. When I see something I draw it,like when you first got here. Do you wanna see it?" Amora nodded and smiled,Sarah was so cute and she had a fantastic gift. Sarah pulled out a box from under the bed and opened it,it had all the pictures she's ever drawn and on top was Amora's. Sarah handed it to her,on the paper showed Amora walking down the road with her dad sneaking up behind her and Malachi watching from the rows of corn. It wasn't the best looking drawing but it was still nice to look at, "Wow,this is a pretty drawing Sarah." She said and Sarah smiled. "Thank you." She handed the drawing back to Sarah and she put it back in the box under the bed. As they continued drawing,Job started to talk about Malachi, "How did you make Malachi nice? Before you were here he would sometimes watch us but wouldn't play with us. He'd just sit in here with us while we read books. Whenever we tried to play with him he got really annoyed and he'd also get annoyed if we asked him to read us a story. He never hit us though,so that was the only good thing about him,but when you got here he wasn't as mean anymore. He started talking with us and agreeing to read us stories and would sometimes play with us if he wasn't too tired from working." Amora was surprised,she didn't think Malachi had changed too much to her,yet he changed a lot in the eyes of Job and Sarah."Well,when I got here I thought he was very rude. He called me outlander and would refuse to talk to me,but I would start a conversation and it was sort of like a game. I'd get to see if I could make him mad and over time he got used to me,but I'm glad that you both like him now also." They all continued drawing and she finished her drawing of them. She showed the picture to them and they both smiled, "I love it,Amora!" Sarah said and Amora put the drawing aside so they could play Monopoly. They played for a while until they heard creaks and a knock at the door. They all turned to see Malachi standing there in the doorway, "Hello Amora,Hello Job and Sarah. Having fun?" Amora smiled and grabbed her drawing, "Yes actually,we were all drawing earlier and look who I drew." She gave him the picture and he smiled, "Wow,you're good at drawing. Issac just told me that the wedding will be tomorrow evening around the time the sun sets. There's also some other things I need to talk to you about in private. So later on when you get home go straight to my room,the girls told me they just finished your dress and they want to see how it looks." Amora nodded and handed Sarah the drawing. "I want you to have this,I gotta go guys but Malachi will be here to watch you." Sarah took the drawing and set it to side,both her and Job gave Amora a hug. "Bye Amora." They both said as they hugged her. Amora stood up to leave, "I'll see you later, Malachi." He waved goodbye and she left.

**A few hours later**

Amora got home a little bit after the sun had set and once inside she went upstairs to Malachi's room. She reached the door and knocked before Malachi opened it, "Come in and sit down on the bed." She went inside and sat as he closed the door,he walked over and sat across from her. "There's something you should know before the wedding,I've known about it since my party on Sunday but I didn't know how to bring it up until now. Issac had told me that once we are married,we have a year to conceive a child and if we don't then we'll be sacrificed to He who walks behind the rows. We need to get used to sleeping in the same bed and try being a couple to have a baby and not die. Are you ok with all of this? Take all the time you need to process everything." Amora just looked down blushing, _"I remember Issac telling me that I needed to have a child when he was explaining the rules here. I didn't expect I would be having Malachi's kid,and I didn't expect to be killed if I didn't. I guess I have no choice if I want to keep living." _She looked up at Malachi very seriously and started to speak. "Malachi I'm gonna be honest with you,I've had a crush on you since I got here but you made it difficult at first because you were so mean. I like that you've toned down your attitude and that I've gotten to know you better as a person. Like I said last Sunday,I feel safe with you and you are handsome in my eyes. I feel like we can work as a couple if we tried and I really want to stay alive a bit longer so I have no choice but to give birth. But I'm ok with it because you're going to be the dad and I know you'll help me through it." Malachi didn't say anything at first,he just looked at her before moving forward and hugging her. "I've had a crush on you too." Amora felt happy that he returned the feelings she had and hugged him back. "If you want,we can start trying to sleep in the same bed just to see how it feels and if we like it we'll keep doing it." He suggested and he felt her nod her head, "I'm ok with that,I'll go get changed and come back." He let her go and she left to her room and changed into a t shirt and shorts. She came back to see Malachi changed also and like the other night he was shirtless, "Do you want to cuddle while we sleep?" She nodded and he turned on a flashlight before turning off the room light. Amora got into the bed and under the covers with Malachi and he turned off the flashlight. They wrapped their arms around each other before drifting off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: The Wedding Night

**Friday,7:30 pm**

Amora was still at home with Rachel,she was ready,the only thing left to do was her hair. Rachel was curling Amora's hair and noticed she was shaking a bit. "Amora,are you ok?" She asked and Amora and she looked up, "Oh I'm fine,just a bit nervous and excited. I just can't believe I'm getting married,when I ran away I didn't think I'd be doing this. But I'm glad that my car stopped here,I got to meet you,Malachi,Job and Sarah. You were the first friend I ever had,so thank you for being so kind and helping me now." Rachel put down the curling wand and went around to hug her. "Aww you're so sweet,you're welcome Amora! Im almost finished with your hair,I'm gonna hurry so we can go down to the church and get you married!"

**The church,8:00**

Everyone was in the church already seated and waiting for the ceremony to begin,Malachi was standing at the front with Issac as the priest. Job was the knife bearer, Sarah was the flower girl,and Joseph was at the organ. Amora hadn't arrived yet with Rachel but no one was too worried,Malachi wasn't too worried either. In fact he was excited to be marrying Amora but also nervous about having a child with her in the future. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he seen the doors open and everyone stand,Joseph played 'here comes the bride' as Amora stepped inside. The doors were closed and Amora slowly walked down the aisle as Sarah dropped flowers behind her. Malachi couldn't hold back his smile as Amora walked down the aisle,he still couldn't believe that they didn't care for each other's company a month ago. It was crazy to him that this was all happening so fast,Amora had reached the front and stood at Malachi's side. He turned to her and lifted her veil from her face and turned to face Issac. The music ended and Issac began his speech, "Tonight we celebrate the marriage of Malachi and Amora,He who walks behind the rows has brought you both together. He is binding you because of the bond you share and so you can keep our numbers up. I'm sure you will be very happy together. Do you,Malachi,take Amora to be your wife until the day you go with He who walks behind the rows?" Malachi reached forward and placed his hand on top of the knife Job had been holding, "I do." "Do you,Amora,take Malachi as your husband until the day you go with He who walks behind the rows?" She reached forward and placed her hand on top of Malachi's, "I do." Issac took their hands off the knife and grabbed it from the pillow. "Good,now cut your hands on the blade." Malachi could see that Amora was nervous so he made a cut on his hand first and held Amora's wrist gently and made her cut for her. He heard her whimper in pain and he held her cut hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed it. He held her hand with his cut hand and put the knife back on the pillow Job was holding. "You are now husband and wife. You will be able to have a week long honeymoon,so you don't have to do chores." The whole crowd chanted with Issac, "Praise God! Praise The Lord!" Malachi and Amora faced each other and kissed while the crowd cheered. Malachi felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck as Amora put her hand on his cheek. The sun had just been setting as they kissed,its beautiful golden orange glow had entered the church. After they finished the kiss,everyone got up and had cake,then went outside to burn a heart made from wood outside the church as a wedding gift. After the wood was burned and left only ashes everyone went home,Job and Sarah had fell asleep in the church so Amora and Malachi picked them up and started walking home. "Wow that was a good party,I loved the heart everyone made." Amora said sounding so excited but also quiet so she would wake up the kids,Malachi flashed a smile and whispered. "Yeah I didn't expect tonight to be as fun as it was. Your dress looks nice,this collar and tie are killing me." Amora giggled as quietly as she could. "Aww thanks for complimenting my dress,it's pretty comfortable. I bet your neck is gonna be red when you take off your shirt and tie." She said trying her best not to laugh,they had just made it home. "Where are we gonna put Job and Sarah?" She asked as Malachi opened the door for her. "There's a room down here for them that they can use,here put Job on the couch. I'll go put Sarah to bed and come back for him. Did you want to keep sleeping with me in my room?" Amora put Job down gently then walked to the stairs. "Yeah,we kinda need to if Issac expects us to have a kid." She laughed nervously and went upstairs to change,however Malachi didn't laugh. He put Sarah into the bed,took off her shoes,and set them on the floor by the bed. He then went to the couch to pick up Job,when he came back to the room he seen Sarah awake and going under the blanket. "Hey Malachi. Where are we at?" She said as she yawned and Malachi put Job next to her. "Don't worry,you're at my house,you and Job fell asleep while we were outside the church so we decided to bring you here so you could sleep." He took Jobs shoes off,placed them on the floor and tucked him into the bed and went to Sarah's side of the bed. He laid her back down,tucked her in,and patted her head,"Goodnight Sarah." "Goodnight Malachi." He made his way out,turning off the light and closing the door before making his way upstairs to his room. Amora was already in laying down but sat up when she heard him come in, "Alright,let's see if that neck is red!" She said with excitement. Malachi laughed as he started taking off the shirt and tie,he opened the collar and checked his neck. "Ha! It didn't get red. You lost your own bet." He chuckled as he put it a long sleeve shirt, "It's not a big deal,I'm surprised that you're changing in front of me with no embarrassment." She said with a smug grin and Malachi realized he was about to change pants if she hadn't said anything. "I didn't notice until you pointed it out,but to be honest it's not embarrassing to me. I think it would be more embarrassing if _you_ were the one changing." He changed into some sweat pants and sat next to Amora in the bed. "I know I was laughing about having a kid earlier, but I'm scared Malachi. We won't live to see them grow up,and none of us are worshipping God,how did this all happen? What made you all snap?" Malachi stayed silent,debating whether or not to tell her what happened. "If I tell you,promise me that you won't tell anyone else,especially the things I'll tell you about myself and my old life. The only person to know personal details about me is Issac,do you promise?" He asked as he held her hand,Amora nodded and he began the story. "About 6 years ago Issac came to all of us at school talking about He who walks behind the rows for the first time. He said he had seen and talked to him in a dream but we didn't believe him,Issac had said that the corn field would not be successful starting that day and that the priest and his family would die within 4 months from that time. That would be his proof that he was telling the truth,and it all happened just like he said. We got less rain,the temperature rose,we spent more and more hours at church praying that things would get better. Then one evening,a group of adults including the priest and his wife went out into the cornfield to get whatever crops that weren't dried up. The priest and his wife never came back,the whole town went searching but couldn't find them. Then a few nights later their 3 kids had just disappeared,no one knew if they had been killed or they ran away. None of us knew what to do,we all started to get scared,we were starting to believe Issac. No one trusted anyone,the tension between everyone was just...chilling. The crops got worse,some of the cattle died,and slowly we all started to turn to Issac and ask him how to stop everything. He told us to sneak out at night and meet in the church,some of the other older kids were told to spread word to any other kids but to also threaten them to not tell any adults. We all snuck out at like 1 in the morning,almost everyone from school was there,but Job and Sarah didn't go. Sarah was 3 and Job was 5,they were still very little and were always watched over by their parents. Issac had shown us an old book that He had led him to in the church basement. It was the book that's in the church now,the one that has the list of all the names,birthdays and death dates of everyone who was a part of the cult. We aren't the first people to do this,2 other decades were recorded in the book but were both spaced out time wise. I don't remember the exact dates but I think it was a 70 year gap between the first cult and the other cult,there had been a 50 year gap between the second cult and ours. Issac had said that the cult had been destroyed twice and He who walks behind the rows was weak. He wanted us to kill everyone ages 19 and up so we could start the cult again,if we didn't more people would be killed either by Him or until a natural disaster killed us. Issac told us the rules if we were to join and that He who walks behind the rows is the only god. He who walks behind the rows said that we had no god and that was why bad stuff continued to happen even though we prayed. He said he would ensure we would be safe and be able to live freely,the only thing we had to do was keep out outlanders and if someone tried to destroy the cornfield we had to kill them. To persuade us further,Issac took us to the clearing in the cornfield where we now pray at,the priest and his family were tied up and dead on giant corn husk crucifixes. He needed everyone to agree to kill and we all did,we agreed because we didn't want to die and we craved independence. Most of our parents were either assholes or abusive,we couldn't have the freedom to do whatever we wanted and some of us were constantly shamed for some of the things we did. My dad would hit me if I didn't do something right,it was his way of "disciplining" me. I had no idea what happened to my mom,when I asked about her he got real mad and beat the hell out of me. I hated it so much that this isn't even the house I grew up in,I moved most of the furniture from my old house to this one. We were scared to join but we thought this option was better for us,we didn't like being here and we thought He who walks behind the rows would give us purpose. All we really did was go to school and work,but now we don't have to do much work and we're like a community. So we joined Issac,made a plan,and a week later we slaughtered the town." Amora stared at him for a few seconds,he looked upset telling her the whole story of the cult,it brought back so many memories. Not knowing how to comfort him,she moved closer and hugged him. "I feel bad for you and everyone else here,but I'm glad you found an alternative that works,even if you do some fucked up shit." Malachi laughed at Amora's attempt and hugged her back, "You don't have to try and make me feel better,but thanks anyway." As they hugged Amora felt his heartbeat,it was beating a little faster than usual, "Did you like the kiss at the church?" He looked down at her and blushed, "Yeah,it was actually my first kiss,I felt this feeling that I don't know how to exactly describe. It's weird,my stomach felt like it was hurting and not hurting at the same time and my body got cold but my face was hot. But it wasn't a bad feeling I liked it a lot,I'm assuming you liked it too since you're asking if I liked it." He smiled and she giggled, "Yeah." They laid there in silence for a few minutes before Malachi spoke up. "When do you think we'll be ready to have a baby?" Amora didn't say anything,thinking about her answer before finally speaking. "I want to spend more time with you before we have a baby, and im honestly scared of being pregnant. I'll be 16 with a baby,and like I said earlier neither of us will live to see him or her grow up. They won't know who their mommy and daddy are." Malachi hugged her tighter, "I know but we don't really have a choice,I want to see them grow up too but we'll watch over them in another life when that time comes. I'm not gonna force you to do things with me but at some point we have to do it or our time will come sooner. So whenever you're ready,let me know and we'll try." He got up and went to turn off the light and went back into bed,he laid down next to Amora and continued cuddling with her. "If we're gonna have a baby,I want to go slow and work our way up to... y'know. Can we kiss a little before going to sleep?" "That's fine,as long as you're comfortable doing it." They leaned in and started to kiss,the more they did the more intense it got. From small little pecks to tongue kissing,they eventually stopped after about a minute to breathe. "It's getting late,are you getting tired? I don't want to stop but I'm kinda sleepy." Amora nodded and cuddled him, "Yeah me too,goodnight." They held each other before drifting off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: The promise

2 months had passed since the wedding and things were doing pretty good in Gatlin. It was October 31st and Amora couldn't be more excited,not only was it Halloween,but it was also her birthday. Malachi told her that in Gatlin Halloween was considered a devils holiday when the adults were there. But even though they took over they still don't celebrate Halloween because they don't have access to candy. Amora didn't care,she still spent time with Job and Sarah playing or with Malachi talking about random things and being a bit flirty. Since the wedding,Malachi and Amora had gotten used to sharing a bed and started to share the room. They would flirt with each other sometimes and got used to kissing and hugging in front of others,but they still weren't ready for _it_. Amora was at home currently cleaning the kitchen,she had no idea where Malachi was but she knew he was out working. He left very early that morning though and it was already 5pm,she figured it must be something important that has to get done before Sunday. She heard a knock on the door and went to get it hoping to see him but she didn't,it was Joseph,Job,and Sarah instead. "Hello Amora,do you mind spending time with Job and Sarah for a bit? We're all really busy and none of us have time to play with them. Oh and happy birthday,Racheal has your gift but she said she'll give it to you tomorrow." Amora nodded and moved to the side to let the kids in. "Yes,that's fine they can stay and tell her I said thank you. By the way have you spoken with Malachi? He had to leave earlier than usual this morning and I didn't get the chance to speak with him." Joseph shook his head, "No I haven't,I seen him a little while ago and he was working. Don't worry I'm sure he'll come back here soon,goodbye." Joseph left and Amora felt kinda sad, _"Has Malachi forgotten that it's my birthday today?" _She tried not to think about it while she played with Job and Sarah,they helped her feel a little better and told her happy birthday. It was now 7pm and the kids had been picked up by Vicky,another girl in the cult. Amora was really bummed out,she still hadn't seen Malachi and felt very sad and frustrated,she fell asleep on the couch while crying a little.

Amora woke up and felt herself being carried,she felt the cold wind and noticed she was outside,she looked up and saw Malachi. "What are you doing?" She asked with a sleepy voice hugging him closer for warmth. Malachi kissed her forehead and put her down to let her stand. "Happy birthday." He turned her around and opened the church doors to show her a small table with a candle,a small cake and some presents next to the table. She turned around and hugged Malachi, "I thought you forgot about me!" He hugged her back and closed the door behind them, "No,of course I didn't forget! Everyone knew about my surprise and they made sure you got no where near the church. Racheal dropped off her gift,Job and Sarah made something for you,and I found some stuff." Amora opened the gifts one at a time,Racheal made her a new blue and white dress and gave her a old black jacket. Job and Sarah made her a purple flower hair clip and drew a picture of her with them and Malachi sitting in a house by a fireplace. She opened Malachi's gift last and she loved what he got her, "We dont celebrate Halloween here so I went looking around some abandoned houses and found all of those." It was a small diamond ring and there was also matching earrings and necklace with a black bat. Amora put them on and smiled, "Thank you Malachi." They hugged and sat down to eat the cake and everything they didn't finish was packed up. They left the church and started to walk back home quickly because of how cold it was. It was close to 9 when they got home,they changed into some warm sleeping clothes and laid down in the bed, "Were you scared earlier?" Malachi asked her smiling real wide. "Scared?" "Yeah,when you thought I didn't remember your birthday." Amora pouted, "No I was actually sad,I thought you didn't want to spend time with me." Malachi giggled and held her closer, "Awww I'm sorry,I won't do that again I promise." He kissed her forehead but Amora pulled him down and to kiss his lips,they kissed for a while and Malachi brought her closer to him. He held her hip with one hand and the other hand cupped her face. That's when she pulled away and looked at him, "Sorry,I'll stop." He let go but she grabbed his hands and put them back where they were,she gave him a small smile and touched his cheek. "It's ok,I'm ready." He was confused at first but as she started to kiss and move her body he understood what she meant and couldn't control himself.

**1 month later**

It was Sunday morning,Amora was in the bathroom fixing her hair again for prayer meeting in the cornfield. She hadn't been feeling well for the past 2 weeks,she couldn't sleep sometimes or would wake up at different hours and go throw up for 10 minutes. Her appetite also increased and caused Amora to worry but she didn't want to tell Malachi anything yet. "Are you feeling ok?" Amora opened the door and walked out, "Yeah I'm ok,come on let's go." They went to the middle of the cornfield to hear Issac speak,once there Amora was pulled to the side by Issac. "Amora come here,I want to speak with you." Amora turned around and walked to Issac,she already knew what he was going to say. "He who walks has told me you have been sick,I'm talking to you to give good news. You're pregnant,I'm very happy for you and Malachi,and I hope the birth goes well." He smiled at her and so did she. "Oh wow,I had a feeling but I didn't know for sure! But,I don't know how to tell Malachi or the others. What should I do?" Issac went closer to whisper so no one could hear, "Tell Malachi when you get home,and tomorrow I shall tell everyone after morning prayer." He walked away to the center and Amora sat with Malachi. She tried to listen to Issacs words but her nerves got the best of her. "Praise God! Praise the Lord!" Everyone chanted and went off to do their own things,she stood up and talked to Malachi before he could do anything. "Malachi,we need to go home. There's something I want to tell you." Amora walked fast to the house and Malachi was concerned,he never seen her like this and it made his mind wander. _"Did she go somewhere and didn't tell me? Did she cheat? Did she kill someone?" _They finally made it back to their house and went inside,and once the door shut they sat down on the couch. "Malachi...I'm very nervous to tell you this,I know you won't be mad but it's still very surprising to me and it makes me so anxious. The past few days I've been sick so I talked to Issac today and he's gonna tell everyone else tomorrow. I'm very excited to say... that I'm pregnant." Malachi instantly had a look of surprise that quickly broke into a smile,he looked down and touched her stomach. "Really?! You- I mean we,we're having a baby?" She smiled and nodded, "Yes!" Malachi hugged her and held her close and she felt tears on his face. He sat up and held her face as he looked into her eyes. "You're gonna have our baby. You had no reason to be nervous honey,I promise that I'll do anything for you and the baby." She wiped away the tears from his cheeks and stroked his hair, "Really,you promise?" Malachi leaned in and kissed her,sealing the agreement. "I promise."


End file.
